Health care roundtable to Picton in February
Administrator | Jan 26, 2011 | Comments 3
Ontarians are being asked to provide feedback on how to provide the best access to quality health care services in rural and northern areas of the province.
The roundtable discussion in Picton is Tuesday, Feb. 15 beginning at 1p.m. in the Prince Edward Community Centre Hall.
Specifically, Ontarians are invited to respond to recommendations made by the Rural and Northern Health Care Panel. The public can make views known online at www.ontario.ca/ruralnorthernhealth, by phone, and in-person at roundtable discussions in rural communities across the province.
The roundtable discussions will take place throughout the province including Temiskaming Shores (New Liskeard), Burford, Hanover, Drayton, Shelburne, Petrolia, Renfrew, Picton, Haliburton, Orillia and Dryden. Residents can register to participate in these sessions at www.ontario.ca/ruralnorthernhealth.
Improving access to health care services in rural and northern Ontario is part of the province’s Open Ontario plan to ensure quality health care services for all patients while improving accountability.
“All Ontarians expect and deserve access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live. That’s why, as part of our plan, we’re looking for input from Ontarians on the best way to make sure that those living in rural and northern communities get the care they need, when they need it, as close to home as possible,”
said Liz Sandals, Parliamentary Assistant, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and Co-Lead for the Rural and Northern Health Care Consultations
QUICK FACTS
More than 1.9 million Ontarians live in rural, remote and northern areas of the province.
The government has created more than 80 new Family Health Teams in rural and northern Ontario.
When the Northern Ontario School of Medicine opened in September 2005, it became the first new medical school in Canada in over 30 years.
Filed Under: Local News
Here’s the reccommendation report and survey/feedback, if you can’t attend the session.
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ruralnorthern/docs/recommendations_rural_northern_EN.pdf
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ruralnorthern/feedback.aspx
We need to pass the word and get a lot of people out to protest the cutting of services to our Hospital.
Recently I lost a friend in a very unusual case. Her Dr in Picton sent her to the emergency room at PECMH and when they looked at the X-Rray, realized she was in danger and sent her off to Belleville in an ambulance. On the way she became distressed and was soon unable to breathe. In Belleville all attempts failed and she died. I do believe that all the medical staff involved did their very best to save her. She had no pre-existing medical condition, was healthy and strong and as a result of her being an organ donor, some good has come from this tragedy.
But I wonder if we had never been merged with QHC, and we were still the Hospital that we once were, would they have been able to do more here and would she be alive today? Was the time spent riding in the ambulance what cost her her life? Maybe in this case, nothing could have prevented the tragedy from occurring. As more services are cut, and staff reduced, there is a greater likelihood of such an occurrance. Nobody wants it to be someone they love, so let’s all go and fight for our right to have better health care in our own backyard!
Sounds like something we all should go to. I wonder if there will be someone there to listen to our problems–Don’t forget tuesday Feb 15 at 1 oclock.